SF Giants' Brian Wilson continues rehab

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Published 4:00 am, Friday, February 10, 2012

Photo: Lance Iversen, The Chronicle

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San Francisco Giants pitcher Brian Wilson met with the media on the eve of Fanfest at AT&T Park Saturday. The players and coaches talked about the up coming season as well as injuries and last season trades Friday, February 3, 2012 less

San Francisco Giants pitcher Brian Wilson met with the media on the eve of Fanfest at AT&T Park Saturday. The players and coaches talked about the up coming season as well as injuries and last season trades ... more

Photo: Lance Iversen, The Chronicle

SF Giants' Brian Wilson continues rehab

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Giants closer Brian Wilson encapsulated his damn-the-torpedoes attitude about injuries in September when he said, "You play hard ... then get a new arm."

Until Dr. Frankenstein pops across the pond and takes over Dr. James Andrews' practice, that might not be practical. So Wilson must forever pitch with the same right arm that has saved 176 games for the Giants, postseason included.

Wilson's ability to overcome the most serious arm injury of his professional career, an elbow strain that curtailed his 2011 season, has been a muted story line this winter. It was barely audible in the din of concern over Buster Posey's future and an offense that even Dr. Frankenstein would have struggled to bring to life in 2011.

Wilson's first Cactus League outing this spring, which probably will be delayed as he continues to strengthen the arm, will be just as momentous as the first time Posey squats behind the plate in a game.

Though Wilson's comeback might have sat on the public's hot stove back burner, it was front and center in the executive suite at 24 Willie Mays Plaza.

General manager Brian Sabean was clear about that during FanFest weekend as he explained why he signed relievers Jeremy Affeldt and Javier Lopez for a combined $9.25 million this year, a move that in a vacuum seemed puzzling.

"Willie, at the end of the year, crashed and burned," Sabean said. "We went conservative as far as his rehab. He wasn't going to throw until Jan. 1, and our bullpen was one of our strengths over the last three years. And, not knowing if Willie was going to be full strength at the beginning of the year, how could we weaken that bullpen?

"A lot of factors applied. We saw that Lopez and Affeldt pitched in a lot of high-leverage situations. We didn't want to break that up. We didn't think Dan Runzler was ready to take over for one of them. Quite frankly, in our league, in our division, no matter how many runs you score, you're going to be in a lot of one- and two-run games."

In other words, prudence dictated the Giants hoard relievers unafraid to pitch in the eighth and ninth innings in case Wilson's return is derailed.

Inactivity took a toll on Wilson, who was not his wisecracking self over the final six weeks of the season. An athlete who became a media darling after the 2010 World Series shied away from interviews, quietly spending his days working out and playing dominoes in the clubhouse.

"It was more of a mental disappointment that I was told I can't be on the mound," Wilson said last week. "Could I have pitched? Yes, but they took the necessary precautions based on that I'm an employee, I'm an investment, and they'd like me to pitch this year and next year, not just last year."

Wilson also was sentenced to six weeks of hard time on a sofa after the season.

"Not my decision," he said. "Team's decision and the doctor's decision to heal up and start a detailed rehab program. I've been doing that since November, three times a week."

Wilson directly blamed his injury, and those of teammates', on the short offseason after the World Series, noting that few players are accustomed to pitching until November and returning in February at 100 percent.

Wilson might not see it this way, but the Giants did him a favor by shutting him down. With one year left on his contract, he will pitch for his future in 2012. The stronger he is, the bigger his next deal might be. He is arbitration-eligible through 2013, and Sabean has said he would like to extend Wilson.

That journey begins with a single step, onto a mound in Scottsdale, Ariz., where Wilson might unpack a new weapon to throw at hitters.

"Every spring training there's a new pitch, or there isn't," he said with a wry smile that was missing when he was on the disabled list last year.

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